How To Teach Clair de lune by Debussy
Clair de lune from Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque is, of course, one of the most well-known and beloved works in the piano repertoire, and one that students might ask to learn well before they are ready to tackle such a difficult piece.
So, how do we teach this to recreational students? I have several ideas in my videos here, split into two parts.
Recommended editions, arrangements, and resources:
Carol Matz has a simplified arrangement in her Famous and Fun Classics, book 5 that any early intermediate student should be able to handle. I think it captures the essence of the main theme quite well. Let me know if you have another simplified version that has worked well for your students.
I frequently recommend Jennifer Linn’s book Les Petites Impressions as preparation for students who would like to play Debussy, but are currently playing at an intermediate level.
Jane Magrath’s Encore! Book 3 contains Grieg’s Notturno Op.54, No.4, which I think is a fantastic preparation piece specifically for Clair de lune.
The Schirmer Performance Edition edited by Christopher Harding comes in two different options: Debussy - 16 Piano Favorites linked here and the Suite Bergamasque linked here.
Maurice Hinson’s Anthology of Impressionistic Music is linked here. This edition does contain editorial damper pedal markings. (The Schirmer Performance Edition does not.)
E. Robert Schmitz’s book The Piano Works of Claude Debussy can be found here.
My Repertoire Difficulty Worksheet can be downloaded here. Hint: Clair de lune is considered difficult in each of the categories that I list in that worksheet!
Syllabus listings for difficulty level:
RCM Level 10
Illinois AIM Level 12
Jane Magrath Level 10
Skills and knowledge required to play this piece well:
D-flat Major key signature
Some accidentals throughout, including C-flats and F-flats
Octaves and 3-4 note chords in within octaves
Wide pitch range
Firm grasp on 9/8 time signature
Ability to count correctly, subdividing in duples and triples
Correct reading of ties in RH first section
Ability to listen to sound quality and voicing
Tasteful use of damper pedal and una corda pedal
If you aren’t familiar with Debussy’s two art song settings of Clair de lune, I’d highly recommend that you do a little listening, along with studying the poem and its translation, which you can find here.
It’s terribly important that our students listen to quality professional recordings of pieces like Clair de lune (as opposed to student recordings found on YouTube!) in the learning process.
I enjoy this one by Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and hope you will too:
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